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This book examines the relationship between jihad and genocide, past and present. The author takes a close look at the violent interpretations of jihad and how they have played out in the past hundred years, from the Armenian genocide through current threats to Israel. His study of the potential for fundamentalist jihad to initiate targeted violence raises pressing questions in a time when questions of religious co-existence, particularly in the Middle East, are discussed urgently each day.Read more...

Why I have written this book --
The domain of Islam and the domain of war --
Jihad and genocide: the case of the Armenians --
The Nazi-Muslim connection and Hajj Amin al-Husseini, the Mufti of Jerusalem --
On jihad, oil, and anti-semitism --
Iran: apocalyptic nuclear genocide? --
The fruits of rage.

Abstract:

This book examines the relationship between jihad and genocide, past and present. The author takes a close look at the violent interpretations of jihad and how they have played out in the past hundred years, from the Armenian genocide through current threats to Israel. His study of the potential for fundamentalist jihad to initiate targeted violence raises pressing questions in a time when questions of religious co-existence, particularly in the Middle East, are discussed urgently each day.

Reviews

Editorial reviews

Publisher Synopsis

How appropriate that one of the deepest thinkers about the Holocaust turns his attention to the horrors of Islamic sacred war, known as jihad. Rubinstein's important and fearless study should wake a largely slumbering world to jihad's true nature and its irreconcilable menace. -- Daniel Pipes, director, Middle East Forum; author of Militant Islam Comes to America For fifty years, Richard L. Rubenstein has written courageously and insightfully about crucial issues, including the Holocaust and other genocides. Always on the cutting edge, challenging conventional wisdom repeatedly, Rubenstein's views often provoke controversy but they are ignored at our peril. Jihad and Genocide, the result of careful research and seasoned reflection, is not only a distinctive milestone in Rubenstein's distinguished career but also an analysis essential for religious understanding and public policy. -- John K. Roth, Edward J. Sexton Professor Emeritus of Philosophy; founding director, Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights In Jihad and Genocide, Richard Rubenstein extends his previous analyses of group conflict. The book features clear and evocative writing, careful historical research, and above all, the kind of insight that comes from paying attention to the human propensity to clothe the will to power with high ideals. Indeed, Richard Rubenstein's analysis reminds us that we often do our worst when most convinced of the rightness of our cause. Rubenstein's work should be read by all those concerned with the issues presented by the war on terror: Muslims, Christians, Jews; religious and non-religious people alike. -- John Kelsay, Florida State University; author of Arguing the Just War in Islam Extremely well-written, but what is written is frightening. Richard Rubenstein has linked extremist Jihad with genocidal intention in a way that readers have suspected, but never directly known. He refrains from opinion and uses the extreme jihadis' own words to make his case. Their message leaves no doubt of their intentions. Compelling and a must read for every informed citizen. -- Steven K. Baum, editor of the Journal for the Study of Antisemitism Richard Rubenstein, who has long been a wonderfully provocative intellectual gadfly among religious thinkers, offers a challenging new study of radical Muslims. Insisting that political threats of terrorists cannot be separated from the religious passions that inflame them, Rubenstein argues that government policy will fail if the religious, totalitarian, and antisemitic dimensions of radical Islam are not understood and addressed. -- Susannah Heschel, Dartmouth College, author of Aryan Jesus Renowned Holocaust scholar Richard Rubenstein views contemporary jihadism through his unique prism. This provocative and courageous work elucidates Islam's re-emergent Ur-Fascism-epitomized by the modern jihad to destroy the United States and Israel. -- Andrew Bostom, Brown University, editor of The Legacy of Jihad Rubenstein's discussion of the ideological rationale of the Islamists underlines the irreconcilable gap between Western and Muslim political concepts. Rubenstein methodically explores the sources, the ideological connections, and the common policies of Nazi, Fascist and Muslim leaders. Written in a clear style, Rubenstein's book evokes in simple language, the most crucial issues of our time. Newenglishreview.Org, January, 2010 Rubenstein's analysis stands the test of time. Thus, attention must be paid to Rubenstein's new work, Jihad and Genocide, which offers a searing analysis of Islamic thought and bleak predictions of its impact. Even those of us who do not share his pessimism, his sense of the inevitability of the path to genocide and war, or his predilection for the political right, must confront the issues he raises. Foreword Reviews, February 17, 2010 Attention must be paid to Rubenstein's new work, Jihad and Genocide, which offers a searing analysis of Islamic thought and bleak predictions of its impact... Now 86, Rubenstein has written yet another powerful and disturbing book. Purim Newspaper - Arts and Cultures Section, February 2010 Jihad and Genocide offers a timely and important contribution to the study of Islamism, one of the most dangerous phenomena of our times... One book will not change the world, but books like this give one hope. Middle East Quarterly, Spring 2010 Rubenstein (religion, Univ. of Bridgeport), a distinguished scholar of Holocaust and genocide studies, describes how 9/11 caused a shift in his research focus to radical Islam and its genocidal threat. He traces jihadism in the writings of some prominent advocates and practitioners-Sayyad Qutb, Sayyid Abul Al'la al-Mawdudi, Abdullah Yusuf Azzam, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and bin Laden. Rubenstein presents a case study of the Armenian massacres in Ottoman Turkey (1894-96), which culminated in genocide (1915-23), as an early example of genocidal jihadism. He details the pro-Nazi activities of Hajj Amin al-Husseini against Balkan Jews and plans to liquidate Palestinian Jewry. Recent jihadist threats are seen emanating from the growing Muslim population in Europe, the rise of anti-Semitism, and the possibility of an Iranian-Shiite apocalyptic nuclear confrontation with Israel. While some readers will take issue with aspects of Rubenstein's analysis, his conclusions should be taken seriously: the rage among Islamists against Israel and the US is driven by the shame brought on by successive Muslim defeats since the 1500s; this rage will continue until the shame is erased by genocide, if Islamist threats are taken seriously. Provocative, important reading for all interested in Arab-Israeli peace and religious coexistence worldwide. Highly recommended. CHOICERead more...